


The Girl Who Appeared

by flordecai



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Children, F/M, Luna why, Muggle things, Nargles, ah the nargles
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-13
Updated: 2018-02-13
Packaged: 2019-03-17 15:37:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,080
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13662009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flordecai/pseuds/flordecai
Summary: An alternate universe where Luna and Harry marry instead of Ginny.





	The Girl Who Appeared

The cottage was, from the outside alone, _odd_.

The list of oddities about the house was far longer than anything considered ‘normal’ for muggles, ranging from rather harmless oddities to foul smelling odors that could easily make a passing muggle pass out on the sidewalk. Neighbors who were particularly fed up with the cottage kept a running tally of _offensive_ instances, but none were as repeatedly mentioned and complained about as _the garden gnomes._

To begin with, _all_ of the neighbors noticed painfully frequent change of placement of certain garden decor- the garden gnomes. The ones that were still placed in various spots in the small, overflowing flower garden under the right side of the house moved so dramatically that the muggle neighbors believed it was as if they moved around of their own accord, which, for muggles, was completely _absurd_ . And to even consider the idea that an inanimate object was possibly alive itself, as many witches and wizards know very well, greatly disturbs muggle folks to the point of fear and panic. After all, said inanimate objects should _never move_ , what if it were to have a mind of its own? Were the children even _remotely_ safe with wild garden gnomes coming to life in neighboring gardens? Such an unnatural thing must be the sign of demonic possession or otherwise believed negative influence, according to the muggles. Many of the magical community viewed this perspective as bizarre and slightly comical, after all they had grown up with floating cauldrons, chocolate frogs, and travel via fireplaces, why on earth would a person even dare to think a gnome dangerous only based on its ability to move? Had muggles never considered that said gnomes- the magical name being _Gernumbli gardensi,_ or Gernumblies- were no adorably tiny people but instead were little annoying pests with razor sharp teeth and a liking to bite the unfortunate witch or wizard who was de-gnoming the garden?

The gnomes in question were not exactly normal by both wizard _and_ muggle standards; they were _originally_ fake, bought by Petunia and Vernon from a traditional muggle store (or so Luna called the stores that the Dursleys shopped at), wearing bright red hates that only muggles could figure the tiny pests could possibly put on voluntarily. Being that they were ceramic and very dull to her preferences, Luna had bewitched them long ago to move whenever they pleased after the sun had set. Her husband had begged her to not be so dramatic, but he of course could not sway his lovely and insane wife, for the outside chores _must_ be cared for and who better but the muggle made garden gnomes?

The neighbors had seen her “move” them once or twice as the sun set in the west, coming to the only rational conclusion they would accept to be true- it was her doing and nothing more, no moving around by themselves, no mischief, just a rather _mad_ woman. But this muggle explanation couldn’t explain one question the neighbors continued to have- _how did one seem to continue to find its way into their yard?_ Wouldn’t the dog have told them she had been out there, staging her gnome assault on their home?

And that was not the only odd thing of the house, far from it, and in fact it was only _one_ item from the long list of features that was bizarre on the _outside_ of the small cottage. Should a muggle enter the abode, they would be greeted by an interior that was rather _large_ for a cottage of the size. Being that the two needed as much space as possible for their magical and non-magical belongings, the house had been bewitched just like many magical homes in the wizarding community had always been. In addition, the entire house was filled with odd knick knacks and amazing creations that the Weasleys and many others had given them over the years, but some- if not most- were of Luna’s creating, too.

A clock stood in the corner of the dining room, much like Mrs. Weasley’s clock back in the days of Harry and Ron’s time at Hogwarts. Its arms had the faces of each family member on them, including at the moment only Luna and Harry, showing exactly where each were among five choices- Danger, Work, Home, School or _Sleepwalking_. An odd addition, until one realized the only person in the house that did such a bizarre thing was Luna herself, who had bewitched the clock thanks to Mrs. Weasley’s assistance and guidance. If one paid attention to the clock intensely, they would notice that Harry’s arrow was almost always balancing between Danger and Work before shooting straight to Home whenever he apparited back to the warm home. Luna knew his job as an Auror was always filled with active danger being around her husband, however she didn’t pay it any mind, knowing full well Harry would find some unique and stupendous way out of a dangerous situation. And if he couldn’t think of a way out, well, then some creature would help him out of it for sure. Either way, she had confidence that her loving husband was capable no matter the situation he was forced into, after all he had proven himself clever enough ever since they had met on the Hogwarts train when she was a first year.

“Luna, for heaven’s sakes, could you stop messing with the muggles?” The brunette sighed as he rubbed the bridge of his nose, his wife looking up from her customarily upside down _Quibbler_ magazine. Harry had only just apparated, the stress from his job clearly seen on his face as he moved into the kitchen, pulling his coat off and throwing it over the chair next to Luna before making himself a glass of water.

“Welcome home,” she hummed, returning to the article she had been reading before he entered, thumb going over the waxy feel of the page. “I haven’t bothered them today.”

She stated it as if she had bothered them every other time except this one.

“Then why is Mrs. Humpfree missing her shoelaces? And why is Mr. Krempter having a hard time finding his students’ term papers to grade this weekend?”

“Ah, the nargles.” She stated simply, closing her magazine to stand up and move ever so slightly in front of her husband, moving to undo his tie slowly. “They left up their mistletoe again didn’t they?” Harry blinked for a second before shaking his head, gently wrapping his arms around her waist, chuckling slowly as he kissed her cheek.

“Is that right?”

“I should get them some butterbeer cork necklaces, that’ll keep the nargles out.”

“I think they will be fine without them, love.” He murmured softly, gently running a hand through her hair. “Are you ready to leave? Ron said to arrive early to help him get everything set up.”

“If he had wanted to throw a Muggle birthday party he should have considered asking you to help sooner rather than later.” She nodded, about to pull away when he caught her in a brief kiss.

“He means well.” He chuckled, moving to finish his cup of water before letting the enchanted dish rag wash the thing, looking over as Luna pulled on her own coat, a sky blue peacoat.

“You look stunning.” He smiled, gently taking her hand as she pulled out her wand, grinning up at her husband.

“As do you, Harry. Where are we apparating?”

“Two blocks south of their place, an abandoned house, prevent the neighbors from being suspicious. Claim we took a cab.”

“Muggles… What bizarre customs…”

“Wizards, what bizarre customs.” He teased, quickly stepping back to disapparate, a loud crack echoing through the small cottage.

A loud laugh left her lips as she quickly followed suit, appearing in an empty and dark living room, the floorboards bare of any carpet that had been there previously. The boards were watermarked and creaking, signs of neglect apparent throughout the living room. The walls were clearing the most worn, the old wallpaper peeling off the walls in various places. Picture frames, mirrors and various shelves that had once hung on the walls had fallen off and shattered along the wall in multiple fragments. She had been to this house many times over the years, mainly during the day when they came to visit Hermione and Ron, but never before had she visited the place after dusk, making the entire room appear different than before.

“Harry?” She murmured softly, allowing her eyes to adjust to the low light level before beginning to walk towards the front door, carefully to avoid causing too much noise. “Harry we’re going to be-”

“Shhhh…” He gently tugged on her wrist, pulling her into the small living room where it seemed the carpet had been kept, keeping their footsteps silent. “I apparated upstairs, there’s-”

“H-hello?” Called a small voice from the top of the stairs, a tiny light shining brighter and brighter as the person from which the voice came from drew closer. Luna frowned when she looked at Harry, gently nudging him off her to pull her wand out more properly.

“ _Lumos…_ ” She murmured, delicately swishing her wand, the spell lighting the tip of the thing, giving more light to the staircase before them where a small girl stood, clutching a small blanket around herself and holding a candle that seemed to be almost out of wax. “Hello there, who are you?”

“Y-you’re a witch.” The girl stated, blinking as she quietly began stepping down the stairs, clearly not afraid of the two who stood before her. “Y-you are… Aren’t y-you?”

“And if I am?”

“Then y-you know… um…” The girl rummaged through her pockets, the pants she wore too big for her thin frame. She held out a copy of _The_ _Daily Prophet,_ pointing to the picture of Hermione when she became the Minister for Magic, pointing to the Minister herself. “Y-you know her…?”

Luna looked to Harry, nudging him gently. Clearly the child was fromt he magical community, otherwise how had she gotten a copy of the _Prophet_ and knew who Hermione was? But that only answered one thing, that she was one of them, that didn’t answer why she was in this abandoned house after dark.

“Why yes, that’s Mrs. Hermione Granger-Weasley, the-”

“The M-Minister f-for Magic!” The girl’s eyes lit up as she stepped closer, looking between the two excitedly. “Y-you know her!”

“We do,” Luna smiled, gently taking the article and smoothing the paper out slowly. “She’s a very dear friend of ours, were you looking for her?”

The girl nodded quickly, pulling the small blanket closer around herself, the cold getting to her a bit as she stared at the paper.

“She’s th-the Minister, sh-she can help w-w-with anything.”

“Luna-” Harry began, stepping closer to his wife as she quickly took her coat off, wrapping it around the small girl.

“Then to the Minister we go then.” She looked at Harry, nodding for him to follow with her, taking the girl’s hand gently. “What’s your name?”

“Eleanor, Eleanor Twelvetree.”

She took Luna’s hand and followed her through the front door of the house, the coat she had been given rather large for her small body. Luna kept a slow pace, guiding the girl down the street as she chatted happily about whatever children got excited over. Luna indulged her, nodding and adding topics to the conversation, mentioning that Eleanor must really avoid nargles as best she could- which got the girl laughing quite a bit.

Harry followed behind, keeping an eye on the two as well as their surroundings, the appearance of the girl putting him on edge for some reason. It wasn’t Eleanor herself, it was the randomness of the entire encounter- her knowing Hermione, having a copy of the _Prophet_ , wanting to find Hermione… It was all rather bizarre and it put his Auror instincts on edge. Still, the girl couldn’t be that bad, Luna was not panicked by her in the slightest, which gave him some comfort. Sighing, he approached her, gently wrapping his coat over her shoulders and kissing her hair.

“You’ll catch cold.” He said simply, holding the gate to the Granger-Weasley household open for the two. “I’m sure Ron will get a kick out of _this one._ ” He chuckled, shaking his head as the trio went to the front door and knocked, awaiting their hosts to allow them entry.


End file.
